Mizufenikkusu
by GrnEydDvl
Summary: Sequel to "Hyourinmaru". "What do you mean a minor personality change?" Hitsugaya screamed. "How many times do I have to make the same person fall in love with me? She already loved me!" Hitsugaya Toushiro and Kurosaki Karin.
1. The Accident

**So, I liked writing ****Hyourinmaru**** so much, I decided to write a sequel. Clearly I have a thing for multi-part stories, but also I wanted Karin and Hitsugaya to be together already since I didn't want to write another standard falling in love story. Incidentally, this is still a falling in love story, but with an unusual twist. I hope you enjoy it!**

"I still don't get the point of this," Karin said in exasperation. "I mean, come on! How many people does it take to kill a few low level hollow?"

"Just relax and try to enjoy it! It's squad bonding time, plus, it's good training for them," Matsumoto replied, pointing over her shoulder at the ten or so rookie shinigami behind them. "They haven't fought with the real thing before." Karin sighed.

"I guess. But why do they need both of us? One would be more than enough to babysit, um, I mean, supervise their training." Matsumoto chuckled.

"It's customary for the fukutaicho and one ranked officer to take new squad members out on their first hollow slaying mission," Matsumoto reminded her. "And taicho trusts you more than any of the other officers. Besides, this is way more fun than paperwork!"

"What paperwork?" Karin looked at her incredulously. "I do most of yours anyway. And you're just happy you have a legitimate excuse to be away from the office." Matsumoto grinned. The two chatted amicably the rest of the way to their designated training area, just outside a moderate sized city, at the site of an abandoned factory. When they reached the factory, Karin turned to the group behind her.

"All right," she called out. "This is the place that has been chosen for your first official hollow slaying session. We're close enough to the city that there should be a decent number of souls around, but far enough away that we shouldn't cause any damage. I don't want any stray attacks going towards the city, alright. Keep your attacks under control! Together, we have enough reiatsu to be pretty appealing to any hollow in the area, so don't let your guard down. I don't want any injuries. Now spread out in teams of two and cover the area." Karin finished her speech, and Matsumoto nodded her approval.

"I still can't believe you chose to be 3rd seat instead of a taicho. There are taicho positions available, and you're definitely at taicho level. Besides, you're a natural, just look at the command you've got." After Karin died in the human world, she became a shinigami officially, rather than just a representative. Because of her change in status, she was forced to finally join a squad. She chose to be 10th squad's 3rd seat, rather than taking one of the open taicho spots.

"Who wants to be a taicho!?" Karin insisted. "All they do is work all day, they never have time to have any fun. And I much prefer training to office work." Matsumoto laughed.

"You just want to be able to hang around taicho all day!" Karin blushed slightly.

"What's wrong with that?" she asked innocently. "We are married." Matsumoto was about to tease her some more, but at that moment a loud crash echoed across the grounds, accompanied by an enormous plume of smoke and several screams. Karin and Matsumoto glanced at each other, then shunpoed to the site of the commotion.

Karin almost laughed when she reached the source of the explosion. It had been caused by several hollow landing at once, creating a large crater. The screams had been from the two shinigami who had been close by. They were entirely uninjured and were cowering in fear, clinging to each other for dear life.

"Go, get them!" Karin screamed, slightly annoyed at their pathetic display. "You're shinigami aren't you?" The girls let go of each other, and drew their zanpaktos. One took a deep breath, then charged, only to be knocked aside by a cackling hollow. The other seemed glued to the ground, too scared to force her body to move.

"Attack!" Karin yelled, trying to suppress her agitation. But the girl couldn't move. Her eyes were bulging out of her head and she was shaking like mad. Karin could hear her zanpakto rattling in her petrified hands.

A hollow started to descend on the terrified girl. She shook even harder.

"Run!" Karin shouted, becoming more worried about the girl's safety than her training as the hollow flew at her. But the girl seemed oblivious to everything as she clutched her zanpakto even tighter, causing blood to drip down her hands. She was rooted to the spot.

Karin reacted as fast as she could. She pushed the girl aside, reaching for her zanpakto as she did so, but the hollow hit her before she could draw it. She was flung through the air and crashed into the side of a building with a bone crunching smash.

Matsumoto jumped over the still immobile girl and slew the hollow, while the others were taken care of by several braver rookie shinigami who had finally arrived. Instead of congratulating them, Matsumoto ran to Karin's side. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Karin start to stand up on her own. The only injury she appeared to have was a light gash in her arm where it had grazed the girl's extended zanpakto.

"You've got to stop doing that!" Matsumoto chided. "You're luckier than most to get a second chance at life. You won't get a third." She reached out an arm to Karin to help her up, but Karin slapped it away.

"I don't need your help you whore. Get away from me, I'm fine. I'm not a baby." She started at Matsumoto with bitter, burning eyes. Matsumoto was taken aback.

"Karin, I think you hit your head a little too hard," she said, laughing carefully. Karin scoffed. Matsumoto rounded up the remaining shinigami and opened a senkai gate. Even though their training wasn't over yet, she was worried about Karin. She had never spoken in such a harsh tone before.

"It's time to go back," Matsumoto said cautiously to Karin. She didn't want to worry the other squad members with them. Karin glared at her.

"Yeah, well, who died and made you king? I don't have to take orders from you!" Karin spat.

"Karin, are you sure you feel alright?" Matsumoto asked concerned.

"What do you care?" Karin huffed, crossing her arms, causing her to wince due to her injury.

"See, you're injured, you should get that looked at…"

"I told you, I don't need help from a whore like you!" Karin yelled angrily before storming through the senkai gate. Matsumoto shepherded the rest of the people with them through the gate, keeping a safe distance behind Karin while never letting her out of her sight. Whatever was going on, Karin needed to be kept under close surveillance. Matsumoto cringed at the thought of telling her taicho what had happened.

----------------------------

Matsumoto took a deep, calming breath, then slid open the office door. Hitsugaya was at his desk, working, but he looked up as Matsumoto entered.

"How did it go?" he asked casually. Matsumoto forced herself to smile.

"It went alright. Some of them are actually quite good." She tried to sound cheerful, but her taicho saw right through her.

"Where's Karin?" he asked, looking straight at Matsumoto with a gaze that pierced her very soul. After Karin's death, he didn't want to take any chances. He was internally very grateful that Karin had chosen not to be a taicho, since being a taicho was a high risk position, but he was worried nonetheless. He didn't doubt her abilities, but accidents happen, and he didn't think he could bare the pain of losing her again. Matsumoto bit her lip.

"Don't get excited taicho," she preempted, "but Karin's at 4th squad. She…" but Matsumoto was saved having to explain, because before she could finish, Hitsugaya was gone. He raced to 4th squad as fast as he could and nearly bowled over Isane.

"Where is she?" he asked, fighting the urge to grab Isane and shake the answer out of her. "Where's Karin?"

"Um…" Isane gulped, but luckily for her, Unohana entered the room.

"Ah, Hitsugaya taicho!" she said with a warm smile. "Please come with me." Hitsugaya swallowed his desire to insist on a diagnosis immediately and followed Unohana to her office. If she was smiling like that, he reasoned, things couldn't be so bad.

Unohana closed the door to her office and pointed at a chair, indicating that Hitsugaya should sit. He did so, reluctantly, and Unohana settled herself across from him.

"Hitsugaya Karin-san presented today with a gash in her arm, which, according to Matsumoto fukutaicho, she received by accidentally knocking against the zanpakto of a subordinate she was trying to protect. We have healed the wound and physically, nothing is wrong with her." Hitsugaya breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that she was alive and safe, but he knew Unohana wasn't finished. _Physically_ she was alright, but…

"So what is wrong with her?" he asked, dreading the answer. Unohana paused before replying.

"It seems that she smacked her head rather hard. I don't know the full extent of the damage, but she appears to have undergone a minor personality change. And I think she…well, maybe it's best if you see for yourself. I'm not quite sure myself." Unohana stood and led Hitsugaya to a room. Karin was sitting in a chair, fiddling with a string on her sleeve. She seemed rather board. Hitsugaya brightened when he saw her. He ran to her and threw his arms around her.

"You fool, I told you to be more careful…" but he didn't get to finish.

SMACK! Hitsugaya stumbled away from Karin, grabbing his cheek where she had slapped him and staring at her wide eyed. Karin was fuming.

"You! How DARE you! No one calls me a fool and gets away with it! And just who do you think you are, hugging me like that? You've got a lot of nerve, you jerk!" Hitsugaya was stunned. And hurt.

"Karin," he said painfully. "Do you…know who I am?" Karin glared at him.

"Nope, never seen you before in my life. So don't act all friendly with me, you wimp." Hitsugaya stared at her for a moment, then tore out of the room, fighting the urge to cry. His world had just crashed in on him. He had lost her _again_. Unohana however, grabbed his arm, stopping him before he could get too far away from the room. Hitsugaya forced himself to look at her.

"Hitsugaya taicho," she began, but Hitsugaya needed to vent.

"A MINOR personality change!" he barked, furious. "That's not a minor change, that's an entirely different person! And you might have thought to mention the amnesia!" Unohana's face was serene, but her eyes reflected her compassion.

"We weren't sure if she actually had amnesia or not. Listen to me, Hitsugaya taicho," she said seriously. "Karin needs your help now. I understand that this is hard, but this damage is unlikely to be permanent. She needs someone who loves her to remind her of who she is. Do you understand?" Hitsugaya nodded, realizing what he had done, and hating himself for running out on her. He returned to the room.

"You again!" Karin yelled, still seething. "What do you want this time?" Hitsugaya took a calming breath, then smiled at her.

"I'm not your enemy Karin. I'm your friend. My name is Hitsugaya Toushiro. I'm here to help you." He felt very strange, introducing himself to his wife, but if she really didn't remember him, he thought it was as a good a way as any to start to gain her trust in her current state.

"I don't need your help!" Karin spat. "I don't need anyone's help!" Hitsugaya was torn between screaming at her and crying, but he forced himself to keep his emotions in check.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to take you home," he said calmly.

"Go with him Karin," Unohana said patiently. "He's really a nice guy. You'll like him once you get to know him. No one's trying to tell you what to do." Karin rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, whatever, come on twerp, let's get out of this stupid hospital." Unohana gave Hitsugaya a hopeful look as he followed Karin out the door, wondering how on earth he was going to manage this.

**Ok, I know the whole losing memory bit has been done before, but I'm trying to make this version different so don't be turned off by it. I promise interesting things will happen!**


	2. Dragon and Phoenix

**Wow, thank you so much everyone who reviewed! I feel so ****loved,**** I can't believe this fic has so many reviews already. I really really appreciate it guys! Thanks a ton.**

Hitsugaya's patience was wearing thin before they even reached their room in 10th squad. Karin had taken it upon herself to criticize everything and everyone they passed. He was going to have quite a job explaining Karin's situation to a rather stunned, and hurt, Ukitake, and that she really didn't mean it when she called him a "dirty old man who was going to infect everyone around him if he didn't stop coughing," but what was even more exhausting was convincing Zaraki that, despite Karin's challenge, she was actually in no condition to fight.

"You have no right to keep me from fighting, who do you think you are?" Karin yelled, still furious that Hitsugaya had dragged her away from her imminent battle with Zaraki.

"I don't want you killed by that blood thirsty manic," he said coolly, very thankful that his shunpo was better than Zaraki's sense of direction. Karin snorted.

"I could have taken him down easy! And why do you care?" Hitsugaya sighed but chose not to respond. He slid open the door to their room.

"We're home," he announced, slipping off his sandals and stepping inside. Karin followed him in, still grumbling. Hitsugaya pulled out tea cups and plates.

"Here," he said, placing two plates of food on the table. "Eat something, I'm sure you're hungry." Karin eyed the food suspiciously, then plopped herself down and began tearing through her dinner. Hitsugaya couldn't help but grin. For everything that had changed, her appetite sure hadn't. She still ate like she had never seen food before. Karin noticed that he was looking at her.

"What are you staring at!?" she scowled angrily, throwing a chopstick at him. "Honestly, what's wrong with you?" Hitsugaya stared at his untouched food. He had just lost any hope of an appetite. He had no idea how he was supposed to help Karin regain her memories, especially if she acted like this. He had no clue as to how to break into her subconscious. And seeing her act like this was causing him a lot of pain. He got up and cleared away his uneaten food.

"I'm tired," he said. "I'm going to bed." Without thinking, he went to the corner and began to lay out his futon when Karin's second chopstick hit him on the back of the head. He turned.

"And just what do you think you're going to do with that?" she insisted sarcastically, taking a sip of tea. Hitsugaya was starting to get annoyed.

"What does it look like I'm doing with it? I'm going to sleep in it." Hitsugaya had to jump out of the way as a cup of steaming tea flew past him and shattered against the wall exactly where his head had been a few seconds earlier, sending shards of clay and boiling water splattering in every direction. Karin was livid.

"You PERVERT!" she screamed violently, and her eyes flashed in rage. "This is MY house!" Hitsugaya kept his cool.

"This is my house too," he explained as calmly as he could. Karin scrunched up her face in disgust.

"Ew, gross! There is absolutely no way I would live with a pathetic runt like you! Now get out of my house!" Hitsugaya tried to protest, but before he could he found himself standing on the wrong side of the door with it slammed shut in his face.

Hitsugaya considered ripping the door down, but he didn't have the heart at the moment. With a sigh, he walked away. He would need to devise a better plan for forcing Karin's memories to return. And the sooner the better.

A door opened behind him and he whipped around, hoping against hope that Karin had remembered something and changed her mind. But his excitement fell immediately. One of the unfortunate circumstances of being a taicho is that the fukutaicho's apartment is right next door. Matsumoto sauntered out of her room.

"Lover's spat? You sleeping in the office tonight?" she chided.

"Shut up Matsumoto, I'm not in the mood," Hitsugaya said in a tired voice. Matsumoto's face softened.

"Unohana taicho told me about Karin's condition. What are you going to do about it?" Hitsugaya sighed deeply and shook his head.

"I have no idea. How am I supposed to help her when she's acting like this?" Hitsugaya felt his eyes start to burn and shut them tight against the tears that were threatening to leak out. Matsumoto looked at him with pity for a moment, then reached forward and embraced him. But it wasn't her usual, bone crushing, cleavage suffocating hug. It was full of compassion and understanding.

"I'll do anything I can to help taicho," she whispered. "Just let me know." Hitsugaya nodded, too afraid that if he opened his mouth he would start sobbing.

"Arigato, Matsumoto," he said seriously when she released him. Then he took her advice and went to pass out on the couch in his office.

---------------------------

Karin was sound asleep, her light breathing filling the room. Her zanpakto lay on the floor beside her. She didn't notice it begin to rattle. She didn't notice the blue glow that emanated from it. She didn't notice the powerful phoenix composed of shimmering, kido laden water emerge from the blade and circle around her head several times before settling down on the floor beside her.

Mizufenikkusu gazed at Karin with pity.

"What have you done to yourself?" she asked in frustration. "You've injured your mind so badly, I can only do so much to heal it on my own. I'm going to need help to get you back to normal." And with that, she left the room, gliding soundlessly through the streets of a sleeping Seireitei, all the way to the 10th squad office.

Hitsugaya was sleeping on the couch. He was uncomfortable and miserable, but he was so emotionally drained that he had managed fall into a deep sleep with remarkable ease. Mizufenikkusu entered the room silently and nuzzled the sword that lay at Hitsugaya's side. It shook and glowed briefly, just as Karin's zanpakto had, and a long ice dragon sailed out of the blade. He curled his tail protectively around Hitsugaya's sleeping form, but brought his head up so that he was eye level with the phoenix. Red eyes met white ones and the two zanpaktos held each other's gaze, fighting a silent battle of wits.

"What brings you here, Mizufenikkusu?" Hyourinmaru asked in a deep voice. Mizufenikkusu glared at him, almost amused.

"I assumed you would know, Hyourinmaru. You always seem to be so in tuned to Karin's needs." Hyourinmaru grunted.

"You're her zanpakto. If she has problems with her mind, it is your responsibility to fix them."

"I'm not the only one having problems right now," Mizufenikkusu said knowingly. "You're in pain too." Hyourinmaru didn't respond. He didn't need to. She was right and she knew it.

"I need your help," she continued. "Or, more specifically, I need Toushiro's help. Karin's mind is damaged so badly, I can only do so much for her. And this kind of healing isn't easy. I can try to readjust her personality, but I'm afraid I only have so much control over what happens. But what I really need your help with is her memories. She's locked them away and I can't reach them."

"And how am I supposed to help with that?" Hyourinmaru asked incredulously. But Mizufenikkusu was not intimidated by him despite his icy gaze.

"Karin needs to remember something. And not just anything. Something powerful. That will trigger everything else. And the most powerful memory she has is her love for Toushiro. She needs to remember that. She needs to fall in love with him again." Both zanpaktos looked at the sleeping figure on the couch and sighed.

"I honestly don't know if Toushiro is up to that," Hyourinmaru admitted. "Romance has never exactly been his strength. And with the way Karin is now, he's going to have a hard time with it. But," he asserted, "Toushiro loves Karin more than anything in the world. If this is the only way to help her, he will do it. But please, do something about her personality. For all our sakes."

"I'll do my best. No promises though, there is only so much I can do. At least, I'll try to make her more friendly and personable." Hyourinmaru nodded. The dragon and the phoenix looked at each other, then they embraced, as only a dragon and a phoenix can. Just like their wielders, Hyourinmaru and Mizufenikkusu loved each other deeply. They always worked better when they were around each other. And right now, they were both in pain, and they needed each other's strength.

They bid each other farewell, and Hyourinmaru nudged Hitsugaya. Reluctantly, he opened his eyes.

"I'm not so sure Karin's good for my sanity," Hitsugaya commented, looking up into the dragon's eyes. "You've come out more times for her than in my entire life combined."

"Mizufenikkusu asked me to come out," he explained. "Although I won't deny that you could use the help." Hitsugaya ignored this.

"What did she want?" he asked curiously, finally sitting up. "She's never asked for our help before has she?"

"No. It is a rare circumstance when a shinigami's mind is so injured, their zanpakto requires assistance in healing it."

"So what do we need to do?" Hitsugaya asked. His resolve was firm. No matter what it took, he was going to help Karin regain her memories. He wanted his wife back. Hyourinmaru stared at him briefly before replying.

"You need to make her fall in love with you," he stated. Hitsugaya's jaw fell open in shock.

"I have to WHAT?! Why?" Hyourinmaru explained what Mizufenikkusu had said. Hitsugaya sighed.

"I understand. If that's the only thing that will help, then I'll do it. I'll tame the shrew." But he sounded a lot more confident than he felt. His desire was strong, but he wasn't sure he had the knowledge or the skill to make this new devil-like Karin fall in love with him. He wasn't particularly good at picking up girls. He had never even tried. And Karin the way she was now would be a tough nut to crack. He wasn't even sure where to begin. But Hyourinmaru knew.

"Matsumoto." Hitsugaya glared at him, not entirely sure he had heard correctly.

"Matsumoto? How will she help?" Hyourinmaru didn't hide his annoyance.

"You really are clueless about women. It's a wonder you managed to marry one at all."

"I have you to thank for that," Hitsugaya reminded him sulkily.

"Do you regret it?" Hyourinmaru asked sarcastically.

"No," Hitsugaya stated soundly. "But what does this have to do with Matsumoto?" Hyourinmaru sighed impatiently.

"She knows more about relationships that anyone we know. She can also read people extremely well. Ask her advice about how to woo someone like the new Karin. I'm sure she can help you." Hitsugaya considered this. It actually sounded like very logical advice.

"Alright, I'll ask her tomorrow." Hyourinmaru nodded, then glided back into the sword, allowing an exhausted Hitsugaya to get back to sleep. The last thought he had before falling unconscious was,

"I hope Mizufenikkusu does a number on her alternate personality before tomorrow."

**If I would have known that I was writing a sequel, I would never have given Karin's zanpakto such a long, confusing, and difficult to type name. Sigh.**


	3. The Taming of the Shrew

**Yes, the last chapter was sappy, but I think this one is a lot more fun!**

Hitsugaya awoke the next morning with a kink in his neck and a stiff back. But what bothered him the most was the manner in which he had been woken.

"Get out of my face, Matsumoto!" he said with exasperation, pushing his fukutaicho away from him. "I have no idea how you sleep on this thing, it's as hard as a rock." Matsumoto shrugged.

"It's supposed to be good for your back," she said, grinning as she watched Hitsugaya scoff and grab his in pain.

"Anyway, Matsumoto, I have something to ask you." Matsumoto looked at him curiously, and he relayed what Hyourinmaru had told him during the night. Matsumoto burst out laughing.

"_You_ taicho! Need to woo Karin? In her current state?" She couldn't control herself, even when Hitsugaya fixed her with a patented icy stare. Finally, she calmed down.

"Well, you'll definitely need my help, you don't know the first thing about this topic. Well you don't!" she responded to the irritated look on his face. "And I didn't think you considered that a bad thing. Now, at the moment, Karin is gruff, rude, violent, and confident, am I right?" Hitsugaya nodded. He was starting to regret asking Matsumoto for help. He knew he would never live this down.

"Well," Matsumoto continued, "girls like the current Karin need a man who is stronger than her. Someone who challenges her, you know? Don't be kind and gentle. Go in there and show her who's boss. Then challenge her to a fight, and you'd better win if it's the last thing you do. She'll be totally pissed, so be prepared for that. But inside, she'll gain a deep respect for you, even if she hates you for it." Hitsugaya glared at her.

"And how is hating me supposed to make her love me? You don't make any sense." Matsumoto looked at him fondly.

"Taicho, you have a long way to go before you can understand the mind of a woman. How about, for now, you take my advice, and I'll explain what it all means when you're older." Hitsugaya didn't shout at the insult. Instead, he grinned mischievously.

"Matsumoto," he said, deciding he would get his revenge another way. "I'm going to be busy with Karin today. That leaves you here with the paperwork. And if it's not done today, there will be hell to pay." He smirked, ignoring her whines and protests. When he reached the door however, he paused momentarily.

"Arigato," he said sincerely before heading to his and Karin's room. He would see if Matsumoto's advice was worth anything. It was better than nothing.

-------------------------------

Taking a very deep breath, Hitsugaya pounded on the door.

"What?" grumbled a voice from inside. Hitsugaya braced himself as the door flew open.

"You again!" Karin screamed. "What are you doing here, you pervert?" She was shaking with anger. Hitsugaya stood his ground.

"This is my room too," he stated with confidence. "But since you feel that we can't share it, how about we fight for it? I challenge you to a match," he smirked, indicating his zanpakto as he spoke. Karin laughed derisively.

"What?! You what to fight _me_? You don't stand a chance shrimp. But why not, you stole my fight from me yesterday, I suppose you'll serve as a nice warm up for today." And with that she swept past him holding her head high with confidence. Hitsugaya followed her, wondering vaguely if this was actually an intelligent idea. He wasn't entirely sure he could beat Karin without hurting her. In her current state, she was much more likely in injure him than anything else. But getting her to let off steam wasn't a wholly bad idea.

They reached the training grounds and turned to face each other. Hitsugaya, with a pang, remembered happier times in this very place. Sure, he had sparred with Karin before, countless times, but this was different and he hoped he had the strength, both physically and mentally, to do what he needed to do. He drew his sword and glared at her.

"I'm not holding back!" he shouted, charging at her. Their swords clashed, and the sound echoed across the grounds. They swung again and again, matching each other's attacks. Hitsugaya fired a kido, which Karin easily dodged and countered by shunpoing behind him, slicing ferociously down towards his shoulder. He managed to move out of the way and send a jab towards her, which she blocked by an amazingly rapid change of momentum mid-swing. The battle continued and Hitsugaya noticed that Karin's fighting style was much more brutal than it usually was. She might actually be stronger this way, he marveled. It was taking everything out of him to hold his own, and on top of that, he knew he had to win.

Suddenly, Hitsugaya realized something, and he cursed himself for being so involved that he hadn't noticed it before. Karin hadn't released her zanpakto. Ordinarily, this wouldn't have been odd since they usually didn't fight each other with them, but Hitsugaya finally understood that the reason she hadn't done so wasn't because she didn't want to; it was because she couldn't. He could feel Mizukenikkusu crying out to her, but the more they fought, the more it became apparent to Hitsugaya that Karin couldn't hear her. Her mind was too damaged and she had forgotten her zanpakto's name. And Hitsugaya finally knew how to beat her. Filled with self hatred, he cried,

"Sit upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" The ice dragon shot from his sword and surrounded Karin, holding her prisoner. But he didn't freeze her. He simply captured her, squeezing her so that she was immobile. He shunpoed to her side and held his sword at her throat.

"I win!" he said triumphantly. Karin struggled desperately against the ice binding her, but it was hopeless. "Do you surrender?" he asked vindictively. Karin shot him a look of pure loathing, not wanting to admit defeat.

"Fine, you win this time," she spat, and Hitsugaya released her from Hyourinmaru's clutches, returning the dragon to his sword.

"The room is mine! You're sleeping on the couch tonight!" he said proudly. He turned from her and sauntered away. As soon as he was out of sight, his resolve broke, and he fell onto his knees, clutching his chest to try and force himself not to vomit. He had held his sword to Karin's throat! He had never done anything like that before. He still couldn't believe he had had the strength of will to do it in the first place. He ignored the welt on his leg and the gash on his cheek that he had received from her brutal attacks and focused only on the pain her fingers must be in since he had smashed them with his hilt. It took a while for him to collect himself, but finally, his breathing was steady, his nausea was gone, and he decided he should return to her and see what the aftermath of their battle was.

Meanwhile, Karin was glaring at the spot where he had disappeared with disgust.

"I can't believe was beaten by a _boy_!" she derided herself. "And he wasn't even all that good, I'm definitely stronger than him! Still, I've got to give him credit. He's got a lot more backbone than I thought." She allowed a small smile to play on her lips. "I guess he's kind of cute, in his own way."

Suddenly, Karin felt a burning pain seer through her head. She collapsed on the floor, howling in pain as she clutched the sides of her head against the white hot fire that had erupted in her brain. Hitsugaya found her thrashing on the ground. He forgot that he was supposed to be rough with her and ran to his wife's side, his eyes filled with worry.

"Karin," he said with concern, placing his hands on her shoulders to steady her. "What's wrong?" She stared up at him with screaming eyes.

"It burns. My head…" her voice trailed off and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Hitsugaya placed a hand on her forehead. It didn't feel hot to him, but he used Hyourinmaru's powers to press coolness into it anyway.

After a while, the pain seemed to subside and Karin stopped screaming. She closed her eyes, trying to compose herself, and Hitsugaya resisted the urge to hold her. Finally, she opened her eyes and stared up at Hitsugaya. But the look in them seemed different from before. There wasn't a trace of harshness or bitterness in them. They seemed happy, playful even.

"Are you alright Karin?" Hitsugaya asked carefully, not entirely sure what to expect from her.

"Huh?" she asked. "What are you talking about?" Hitsugaya gaped at her.

"Your head. Don't you remember?" he asked anxiously. Karin giggled.

"You're funny. Kind of cute too," she said in a sickly sweet baby voice. Hitsugaya was stunned. He had never heard Karin use that tone before. Ever. And he couldn't remember ever having heard her giggle. It was even more strange to him than her violent words.

"This must be Mizufenikkusu's doing," he reasoned to himself. "She must have done whatever personality modification she was trying to do." He watched hopefully as Karin stood up and brushed herself off. Then she let out a gasp.

"You're bleeding! Oh my! Did I…did I do that to you?" Hitsugaya touched his cheek and felt the blood. It was a shallow wound, and had stopped bleeding for the most part.

"It's nothing," he said with a small smile. "Don't worry about it. How's your hand?" He was liking this new Karin. She definitely wasn't back to normal, but at least she seemed easier to deal with than the first one.

"You did do this to my hand didn't you?" she realized suddenly, looking at the black and blue mark that covered three of her knuckles. "You horrible violent person, why on earth were you attacking me? I hate swords, I don't touch them if I can help it!" Hitsugaya didn't quite know how to respond to this.

"But, you always carry a sword," he reminded her. "It's right there," he said, indicating Karin's zanpakto which was lying on the floor beside her. She looked at it and screamed.

"Eeeeeew!" she squealed, jumping up and down like a little girl who had just seen a mouse. "I hate swords, I hate violence, and I hate blood! I couldn't possibly own a thing like _that_! And _you_! Why do _you_ have a sword? Are you that bloodthirsty that you have to carry one all the time? And why were you attacking cute little me? I hate vicious people like you! I can't even look at you anymore, not with that bloody face!" And with that she ran away, leaving Hitsugaya to ponder what the heck she was talking about.

"Great," he thought aloud. "That plan backfired. This new Karin hates me already because I sparred with the old Karin. What am I supposed to do now?"

**Ooo****, new twist (and a new personality for Hitsugaya to deal with).**


	4. Jealousy

Hitsugaya left the training grounds to follow Karin. He decided that he should find her and apologize. Maybe he could make her understand why he had fought her, though he doubted it. But when he found her, all his half-thought-out explanations evaporated as he gazed upon the scene that awaited him.

Karin had her arms wrapped tightly around Renji's neck and she was swinging from it giddily and giggling like mad.

"Neh neh," she said playfully. "You're so cute! And you have such big, strong muscles! Wanna go do something fun together? I'll show you a good time!" Renji's face was as red as his hair, and he was horribly confused. Hitsugaya couldn't control his temper.

"ABARAI!" he screamed, shaking from head to toe and balling his hands into fists. Renji gulped and waved his arms frantically.

"Hitsugaya taicho!" he said in a flustered voice. "I promise, it's not what it looks like. She just came up to me and did this, I don't…" but he was interrupted by Karin, who was tracing lines on his face with her finger. Renji became, if possible, even more red, but it was nothing compared to the color Hitsugaya was turning. He grabbed Karin's shoulder and yanked her off Renji with a little more force than he meant to use. She turned to him and pouted.

"Moh, you really are a brute, aren't you? What's wrong with you?" Hitsugaya didn't exactly know how to respond.

"Well…it's…um…he's got a sword too!" Hitsugaya insisted, pointing at Renji's zanpakto and feeling extremely childish for using such a crude tactic.

"EEEEEEE!" Karin screamed, covering her mouth in surprise and disgust. "Is everyone around here a bloodthirsty maniac! Why does everyone have a sword? What's wrong with this place?" Hitsugaya ignored Renji's look of utter bewilderment and tried to calm himself down. Suddenly, an idea hit him.

"Karin," he began gently, "would you like me to take you somewhere where no one has a sword?" So looked at him bright eyed.

"Can you?!" she asked hopefully. "I would really like that!" Hitsugaya smiled.

"Come with me." He was very proud of himself for this realization. He would take her to the human world. Maybe seeing her family and friends again would trigger her memory. Ichigo and Urahara were the only people in the human world who knew that Karin was actually dead. She hadn't told anyone else, since a gigai was just as good as a body as far as they were concerned. She didn't want to give up the ability to visit home just because she was dead.

Hitsugaya stopped briefly in the office to pick up gigais for him and Karin. Matsumoto looked up expectantly when he came in.

"Taicho, Karin, how'd it go?" Luckily, Karin took off ooing and ahhing at everything in the office, leaving Hitsugaya with the opportunity to speak to Matsumoto.

"Well, we sparred and I won, just like you told me to, but then she underwent another major personality change so I think it totally backfired. She's now afraid of swords and blood, is easily excited, and falls all over ever guy she sees."

"Except you?" Matsumoto asked suspiciously. Hitsugaya sighed in response and looked at Karin who was examining a book curiously.

"She thinks I'm a vicious thug for fighting her and carrying a sword. So I'm taking her to Karakura where I can hide Hyourinmaru under my gigai." Matsumoto considered this new information.

"Why don't you show her that there is more to you than fighting," she advised him. Hitsugaya looked at her confused. Matsumoto sighed in frustration.

"Honestly taicho, you're hopeless. She's seen you fight and doesn't like it, so why don't you do something fun with her while you're in the human world. You know, something non-violent. So that she knows there's another side to you."

"Like what?" Hitsugaya asked. Matsumoto grinned.

"I don't know, use your imagination. She's your wife, you must know what she likes to do for fun." They both glanced at Karin, who was dancing excitedly upon the discovery of a picture of the 10th squad flower that was hanging on the wall. Hitsugaya sighed.

"I guess I'll think of something. Though, after last time, I don't know how much help your advice will be." Matsumoto looked at him knowingly.

"She's following you to the human world isn't she?" Hitsugaya thought about this and smiled softly. Maybe, just maybe, this wooing Karin thing was actually starting to work.

--------------------------------

"Woah, look at this place!" Karin exclaimed, clasping her hands together in excitement. "It's so different! And pretty!" They were standing on a hill, just outside of Karakura town and they had a rather impressive view of the entire area. Hitsugaya looked at Karin and smiled. At least she was happy with this personality instead of angry and cold.

"Come on," he said encouragingly. "There are some people I would like you to, ah, meet." She nodded and allowed him to lead her down the hill and towards the town. Karin was openly impressed with everything she saw. She pointed and commented loudly on tall buildings and window displays. And men. It seemed like she batted her eyelashes at every male person they passed, and twice Hitsugaya had to drag her away as she started to run up to strangers to flirt with them.

"Moh, what's wrong with you?" she asked when they were finally out of site of the okonomia cart where Karin had shoved her face across the counter to inform the rather stunned salesman that he was adorable and that she was available tonight.

"You can't just pick up every guy you pass," he grumbled. "You don't know who they are." Karin pouted.

"Why did you take me here in the first place? Wasn't it to meet people?"

"Yes, but specific people, not strangers." Hitsugaya was doing his best to remain calm. He was exceedingly grateful that he had spent so many years suppressing his emotions. It was good training for right now. But that didn't mean there weren't several people behind them who would be wondering how on earth they got frostbite in the middle of the summer.

At long last, they reached the Kurosaki Clinic. Hitsugaya paused for a moment, allowing Karin to take in the site, hoping that she might remember her childhood home. Nothing. All she seemed interested in was the mailbox, which Yuzu had painted a lurid shade of pink and covered with fuzzy bunny rabbits. Hitsugaya frowned and turned away, thinking sadly of what Karin's reaction should have been to the gaudy decorations. He sighed and went to knock on the door.

"Toushiro!" Ichigo exclaimed when he opened the door. "What are you doing here?"

"It's Hitsugaya taicho!" Hitsugaya insisted. He wasn't in a fantastic mood to begin with and Ichigo wasn't helping.

"It's alright, we're family now right?" Ichigo explained to the rather annoyed Hitsugaya.

"Don't remind me," he mumbled. "Anyway, we're here because…" but before he got a chance to explain, Karin spotted Ichigo.

"Oh my gosh!" she squealed, throwing herself on him. "You are by far the cutest boy I've seen today! What are you doing later?" Hitsugaya almost laughed at the look on Ichigo's face.

"Karin," he said amused. "I'm sorry, but you can't go out with him. He's your brother." Karin turned to stare at him, refusing to relinquish her hold on Ichigo's neck.

"What do you mean?" she asked confused. "I have a brother?"

"Karin, what are talking about?" Ichigo asked, starting to get angry. "What kind of game are you playing?" Hitsugaya sighed.

"Let's go inside Kurosaki. I'll explain everything." Ichigo pried Karin's arms off of him and led the two into the kitchen.

"Yuzu and oyaji are out right now," Ichigo told Hitsugaya. "So you can talk freely…hey, get off me you weirdo!" he shouted at Karin who had grabbed his arm. Karin looked up at him and pouted.

"Are you really my brother?" she asked with puppy-dog eyes. Ichigo almost gagged.

"Yes I am, now stop looking at me like that, it makes me sick," he said, throwing her off him. She pouted, then left to examine the house, leaving Hitsugaya to explain Karin's situation to Ichigo.

"WHAT!?" Ichigo shouted. "You know, I'm starting to regret ever letting her marry you. First she dies, now this, what more are you going to do her?"

"Neither of those things are my fault!" Hitsugaya shot back furiously. "Do you think I wanted them to happen to her? Do you think I want to watch her suffer? Do you think I'm enjoying this?"

"Alright, alright, don't go bankai on me," Ichigo replied. Hitsugaya glared at him.

"Still," Ichigo continued, "I don't think being in this house is helping her any. She clearly didn't recognize me." He shuttered at the memory. "What are we going to do now?"

"Matsumoto told me I should do something fun with her," Hitsugaya remembered. "But I don't know what she'd like to do right now that doesn't involve going on a date with everyone she sees."

"Why don't you play soccer with her, she always likes that," Ichigo suggested. Hitsugaya considered this. It was a great idea. It was non-violent and fun, and hopefully it would take Karin's mind off other men and focus it back on him. Maybe playing soccer on her old field would help her remember something.

"Alright," he agreed. "Then will you do me a favor? Call up Karin's friends and tell them to meet us at the field in a little while. You can explain to them her condition. Maybe seeing them will jog something." Ichigo nodded, and Hitsugaya went to find Karin. She was in Yuzu's room, admiring her stuffed animals.

"Whatcha doing?" Karin asked playfully as Hitsugaya opened the closet.

"I'm looking for something…ah, here it is," he said, standing and holding up Karin's old soccer ball, spinning it mindlessly on his fingertip. "Do you want to play with me?" Karin looked at the ball curiously.

"I'm not sure I can, but I'll try!" she said happily. Hitsugaya smiled at her.

"You'll be great, I promise."

They walked together to the soccer field and started to kick the ball back and forth. Karin was shaky at first, but her body seemed to remember the moves even if her mind didn't, and soon it was a regular scuffle, with both parties trying their best and enjoying themselves immensely. Hitsugaya almost managed to forget why they were there and what Karin's state of mind was as he kicked the ball past her. She looked like her normal self on the soccer field and Hitsugaya hoped that she felt the difference.

Hitsugaya was running towards Karin to steal the ball from her when he saw four figures come over the hill that surrounded the field. One was Ichigo. The other three Hitsugaya recognized as Karin's closest friends, Kentaro, Ryoga, and Shinta.

Karin noticed his distraction and turned to see what he was looking at. Her face lit up at the sight of four boys walking towards her. She made a beeline for Kentaro and threw herself into his arms. Kentaro hugged her awkwardly, although he looked rather uncomfortable.

"Ano, how are you Kar…" he began, but Karin interrupted.

"Oooo," she cooed, "you're even cuter than that brother person over there! Wow, did you come here just to see me? 'Cause I'd love to spent some time with you, get to know you a little better, you know." She looked at him seductively. Ichigo grabbed Hitsugaya's arm to preemptively stop him from pouncing on Kentaro.

"Anyone," Hitsugaya thought to himself, "anyone but _him_!" Hitsugaya hadn't forgotten the conversation he had overheard on the phone, even though it hardly mattered anymore. He was still seething.

"Ano, maybe some other time…" Kentaro said nervously, eyeing Hitsugaya and paling under his death glare. Kentaro gently pushed Karin off.

"Wow, Karin, do you really not remember us?" Shinta asked sadly. Karin looked at him curiously.

"No, am I supposed to?" she asked. Shinta sighed and looked at Ichigo.

"You were right Ichi-nii, she really does have amnesia."

"Yeah, and a weird personality change," Ryoga added, watching as Karin grabbed Kentaro's arm and hugged it tightly. Hitsugaya tore his gaze away from the pair.

"Kami-sama, give me strength," he thought. Then he turned to Shinta and Ryoga.

"I thought seeing you three would help fix her memory so I brought her here. Unfortunately, it hasn't done much good." He had to exercise all his will power to keep from looking back at Karin and Kentaro as he heard Karin's giggles and Kentaro's flustered protests. "Maybe if you take her around, you know, show her places where you spent time, she might remember something. Anything."

"Sure," Shinta nodded. "But I think you should come with. Just in case," he added, glancing at Kentaro who was blushing horribly as he tried futilely to pry Karin off his arm. Hitsugaya agreed. The last thing he wanted was to leave Karin alone with Kentaro.

**The return of ****Kentaro**** I just had to bring him back.**


	5. The River

And so, an unusual group set out to explore Karakura. Hitsugaya walked in the back, his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. Karin dangled off of Kentaro's arm. Shinta and Ryoga glanced nervously from one to the other, praying that Hitsugaya didn't explode. Ichigo left, not wanting to be there when the fireworks went off. They went to their high school and showed Karin the grounds and the Kendo dojo where she had mutilated Kentaro on multiple occasions. But she simply screamed at the sight of people holding swords and ran away, dragging Kentaro along with her. They brought her everywhere they could think of, the park where they practiced soccer after school, a video arcade they used to haunt, even their favorite ramen shop. But nothing happened until they came to the river.

It took a while for Karin to even notice the river. She was too busy gazing dreamily up at Kentaro. Shinta and Ryoga had started to relax and were trying to act more like themselves. They laughed, joked, and told old stories, hoping Karin would remember some of them.

"Karin," Ryoga said with a laugh, "remember the time that Kentaro ate ten bowls of ramen and then puked all over your living room! Your brother was so pissed!"

"Or," Shinta added, "remember when Ryoga let off a stink bomb in the cafeteria and we couldn't use it for a week while they aired it out!" Ryoga hit him.

"It wasn't a week it was a full month!" Shinta hit him back, and Ryoga retaliated by full out picking him up and tossing him into the river.

"Hey!" Shinta sputtered through a mouthful of water. "It's freezing in here!" Karin wasn't really listening to their conversation, she was too fixated on Kentaro, but she heard the splash and turned to see what all the commotion was. It was then that she saw the river. Ryoga was too busy laughing his head off at Shinta who was wringing out his shirt, and Kentaro was trying to zone out of the situation completely, but Hitsugaya noticed the look in Karin's eyes immediately. They had become solemn and forlorn, like looking at the river had depressed her in a way she didn't understand. And Hitsugaya knew what it was. In fact, he was the only person who really knew how Karin felt about this river. The place where her mother had died. He approached her carefully.

"Karin," he began cautiously, "do you remember something?"

"The river," she said absently, and Shinta released Ryoga's from his headlock to turn and listen to her.

"The river," she said again. "Why does it make me feel…so sad." She gazed at the river curiously for several moments. Hitsugaya held his breath. Then suddenly, Karin turned and buried her face in Kentaro's chest.

"Ah, it's making me so miserable and I don't know why!" she cried, pressing herself into him. "Hold me darling!" And Hitsugaya's resolve broke. He grabbed Karin's arm and pulled her away from Kentaro, forcing her to face him.

"Karin, don't _do_ that! He's not…I mean…you just can't do that!" Hitsugaya didn't know exactly how to express his feelings, but he just couldn't let Karin cuddle up to Kentaro anymore. Karin's face contorted in rage.

"You meany!" she yelled. "I feel sad, I want comfort, what's wrong with that? You're such a jerk!" And with that, she ripped herself out of his grasp and ran away in the direction of the Kurosaki Clinic.

Hitsugaya stared at the place where she had disappeared and felt awful. He had tried so hard to keep from getting angry at her. Her friends seemed shocked by his display. He looked away from them.

"Sorry," he said grudgingly to Kentaro. "I just couldn't handle it anymore."

"Ah, don't worry about it Hitsugaya-san!" Kentaro brushed it off with a wave. "If I saw my wife ogling some other guy, I'd have done the same thing. I'm actually impressed at how long you kept your cool."

"What was the deal with the river though?" Shinta asked curioiusly. "Why did it make her sad?"

"It means she's remembering something," Hitsugaya said, more to himself than to the others. They all stared at him, hoping he would elaborate, but instead he turned away to follow Karin. He had to apologize and see if he could develop the memory she had had at the riverbank. It was something only he could do.

------------------------------

A very confused Ichigo opened the door for Karin when she reached the Kurosaki Clinic. She was in tears. But before Ichigo could ask what had happened, she shouted,

"Leave me alone! I want to be alone!" And with that, she raced upstairs and shut herself in Yuzu's room (the room the two of them used to share before Karin got married). She didn't know why this house, and particularly this room felt safe and comfortable, but it did, and right now she needed the comfort. Everything suddenly felt so strange and she didn't really understand what was going on.

"Why do I feel like this?" she asked aloud, wiping away her tears. "What's happening to me? And why did the river make me so upset?" She hugged her knees and rocked back and forth. After a while, she started to calm down and her sobs turned to sniffles.

"Why does that Hitsugaya person care so much?" she wondered. "I don't understand him at all. But, he seemed so jealous today." She giggled. "He really can be quite sweet, once you get to know him. He just doesn't know how to express himself. Maybe I should give him a chance."

------------------------

Meanwhile, something was stirring in Ichigo's room. Hitsugaya had brought Mizufenikkusu along, thinking that it wasn't a good idea for Karin to be too far away from her. The sword rocked back and forth. It glowed a brilliant blue and the water phoenix materialized at the hilt. She flew gracefully out of the room and down the hall to Yuzu's room, where Karin was just starting to feel better. Mizufenikkusu nudged the door open and entered.

Karin screamed. It was a shrill, blood curdling screech that echoed throughout the house. She cowered in fear, pressing herself up against the wall and clutching a pillow to her chest for protection.

"What are you?" she asked in a shaking voice. "Are…are you a ghost?" Mizufenikkusu looked at Karin with sad, pleading eyes.

"You really have forgotten me, haven't you Karin?" she said in a defeated voice.

-------------------------

Hitsugaya had just entered the house when he heard Karin scream. Forgetting what had happened along the river, he tore up the stairs and threw the door open.

"Karin, are you alri…" his voice trailed off and his face flushed as he saw Mizufenikkusu hovering in the air. A person's zanpakto was a sacred being, a manifestation of their very soul. To speak to one's zanpakto was a very personal experience. To even see another's zanpakto materialized was a horrific breech of privacy, and to barge in on a conversation between a zanpakto and its wielder…even as her husband Hitsugaya knew he did not belong.

"I'm very sorry, Mizufenikkusu-san," he said humbly as he began to close the door.

"Wait Toushiro," Mizufenikkusu called to him. "Karin needs you right now. I'm afraid she doesn't remember me. Please stay." Hitsugaya acquiesced and bowed himself into the room. He respectfully lowered his eyes away from Mizufenikkusu and went to sit beside the still petrified Karin. He placed a tentative arm around her shoulder, and she fell into him, needing the comfort. Hitsugaya rubbed her back.

"Shh," he said calmly. "She's not going to hurt you. She's your friend and ally. She knows you better than anyone. Think of her as your guardian angel." Karin whimpered and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Toushiro," Mizufenikkusu addressed him, and he turned to face the phoenix. "She is recovering. But slowly. She still needs that push I told Hyourinmaru about before. I'm going to modify her personality again, I think it will help. I'll make her less…"

"Giddy," Hitsugaya offered. Mizufenikkusu nodded.

"At least, I'll try to do something about her propensity to flirt with everyone she sees. But the rest is up to you." Hitsugaya understood. Mizufenikkusu looked at him meaningfully.

"I'm counting on you," she said, then slipped out the door as silently as she had come.

"I think you're about to have a headache," Hitsugaya warned Karin, remembering what had happened the last time Mizufenikkusu had altered her memory. "But don't worry, I'll be here for you." Karin nodded.

It didn't take long for Karin to start screaming in agony. Hitsugaya held her as tightly as he could. She bit into his shoulder, but he didn't even notice. He closed his eyes and prayed for it to be over as soon as possible. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Hitsugaya breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Karin wouldn't remember the pain; she hadn't the last time. He braced himself, then loosened his grip on Karin, nervous and anxious to see what her new personality would be.

It seemed to take a moment for Karin to realize where she was, but when she found that she was still in Hitsugaya's arms, she pulled back quickly, and huddled in the corner, covering her face in her hands.

"Karin," Hitsugaya asked tentatively. Hitsugaya could see a small blush appear on her cheeks.

"Are you alright?" he asked hopefully. She nodded slightly. Hitsugaya laughed softly.

"There's nothing to be scared of," he said with a small smile. "You can move your hands." Karin shook her head. Hitsugaya sighed. Well, Mizufenikkusu had definitely made her less amiable. Now she was downright shy. But shy, Hitsugaya could deal with. At least she wouldn't be falling all over anyone anymore.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" he offered. He knew that Karin loved to go for walks, and with this personality, he thought it was something she was likely to enjoy. Karin moved her hands away from her eyes. She gazed at him for a moment, then nodded. Hitsugaya smiled warmly.

"Let's go," he said, resisting the urge to hold out his arm for her like he usually did.

**Yes, an****o****ther personality change. Don't you think it makes the story more interesting? **

**Note: if you don't get the river thing, then you clearly haven't read the first story "****Hyourinmaru****" and I suggest you go do that :)**


	6. Memories

Hitsugaya brought Karin to a park. It was sunset and the silhouettes of birds could be seen dotting the orange sky. The chirping of crickets could be heard all around them. They didn't speak for a while appreciating their surroundings. Finally, Hitsugaya broke the silence.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" he asked gently. Karin nodded. He wanted to make conversation, but it's very difficult to speak to someone who won't respond. Then, finally, Karin spoke.

"Why do you care about me so much?" she asked, and her cheeks flushed as she said it. Hitsugaya considered his answer carefully.

"You remind me of someone. Someone very special."

"Tell me about her," Karin whispered. Hitsugaya smiled.

"I met her about fifteen years ago. She was just a child then. But she never acted like a child. She had a strength and wisdom about her that was far beyond her years. She's was a spunky, spirited, independent girl. No one could tell her what to do. She was proud and brave. But she had a heart like no one I have ever met. When she cared about something, she would do everything in her power to protect it.

"One time, we were walking together, when we saw a small boy crying on the side of the road. He was dirty and his clothes were torn. She went over to him, brushed him off, wiped away his tears, and asked him what was wrong. He told her that he had worked for a month raking leaves to earn enough money to buy his mother a birthday present. But while he was on his way to the store, some bullies from school came along, beat him up, and stole all his money. He was upset because now his mother wouldn't get anything for her birthday.

"Well, she simply wouldn't hear of that. She took the boy's hand and walked all over town until she found the bullies. They were in a manga shop, clearly spending their ill gotten gains. She called them outside and insisted that they return the money. They simply laughed in her face. Biggest mistake they ever made. Never mind that there were four of them. Never mind that they were taller and stronger than she was. She took them all on herself and beat them easily.

"By the time she was done with them, they cowered in fear at a mere glance from her, but insisted that they didn't have any money. They had spent it all. So she led the boy away and took him a candy store. She bought a beautiful array of brightly colored chocolates and flowers and gave them to the boy. She apologized that she didn't have a lot of money with her, but hoped that the gift was good enough. I'll never forget the look of gratitude on that boy's face. That's the kind of girl she was."

Hitsugaya finished his story and looked longingly at the first stars that were appearing in the rapidly darkening sky. He didn't know why that was the story he had chosen to tell. There were so many others. But for some reason, at that moment, it seemed appropriate.

"What happened to her?" Karin asked. Hitsugaya sighed deeply and looked into her eyes. They were glowing.

"She died," he told her. "About a year ago." Karin gasped.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. Hitsugaya smiled.

"Don't be. She's closer to me than you think." And he grasped her hand. He didn't know why he did it. It was subconscious. When he realized what he had done, he panicked, afraid he had ruined everything. But Karin didn't seem to mind. She blushed, but she didn't remove her hand from his. Hitsugaya relaxed. Maybe this was working after all.

They continued walking. They didn't speak for a while as the darkness grew around them. The path they were on led into a small flower garden.

"It's beautiful!" Karin marveled, leaving Hitsugaya's side to pick up a flower and bring it to her nose. Hitsugaya gazed at her lovingly. Her face was glowing in the moonlight. She seemed calm and content, with her joyful smile and her shining eyes.

"Karin," he whispered, and she turned to look at him with tender eyes. He took the flower from her and placed it in her hair. Then he lightly touched her cheek. She stiffened under his touch, but she didn't pull away. Hitsugaya fought with himself over whether or not this was a good idea, but in the end decided that the moment was too good to waste, and he leaned forward and placed a gentle kiss on her lips.

Time seemed to stop. Karin's world spun around her as she felt Hitsugaya's warm lips against her own. Her head started to hurt. Not the burning fire she had felt during the personality modification, but the kind of pain you feel when you have been studying for too long, like your head is so full of information it's going to explode. Well, that's exactly what was happening. As Karin kissed Hitsugaya, her memories of him flooded back to her, followed quickly by her memories of friends and family, her childhood, school, and Soul Society, until all the damage that had been done was repaired.

Hitsugaya broke the kiss and stood back, wondering how Karin would react. He was slightly concerned by the look in her eyes. It was almost sarcastic and there was a smirk growing on her face.

"A flower in my hair Toushiro? Really, when did you become such a sap?" Hitsugaya's face broke into a broad grin.

"You have your memories back then?" he asked as relief washed over him. Karin smiled.

"Yeah. Thanks for helping me. Although, I can't believe you let me walk around all day clinging to Kentaro's arm. What were you thinking?"

"Hey, what was I supposed to do?" he defended. "I didn't want to upset you." Karin shook her head.

"What am I going to do with you?" Hitsugaya looked at her slyly.

"I've got an idea." Karin took the hint and allowed herself to be pulled in for another kiss.

-------------------------------

Everyone was waiting anxiously as Karin and Hitsugaya returned to the Kurosaki's house. And I mean everyone. Isshin and Yuzu had returned home and Isshin had broken a wall down when Ichigo told him about Karin's condition. Kentaro, Shinta, and Ryoga had come to the house (after Shinta had dried off) to make sure she was ok. And for some reason, Matsumoto had decided that she didn't like missing out on all the fun and had followed her taicho to Karakura.

"Matsumoto!" Hitsugaya shouted when he entered the house. "What are you doing here? Don't you have paperwork to do?!"

"Taicho," she whined, "you took the whole day off, I thought I deserved a break. Don't worry, I got through most of it." Hitsugaya glared at her.

"I can't wait to see your definition of 'most'," he said, rolling his eyes. Karin snickered.

"You seem back to normal!" Kentaro said happily. Karin greeted him by punching him in the stomach.

"What's the big idea, letting me hang off you all day like some sick puppy. You disgust me!"

"But…" he said flustered. Karin grinned.

"Ah, don't get so bent out of shape! Man, I thought you could stand up to me better than that!" Ryoga and Shinta howled with laughter.

"Glad to have you back Karin!" Shinta said, slapping her on the back.

"I still think there's something weird about that relationship though," Ryoga said, eyeing Hitsugaya and Matsumoto suspiciously. They will still bickering. "There is just no way he spends all day with someone that hot and doesn't have a thing for her…OW!" he cried as he also received a fist in the stomach.

"That's my husband you're talking about!" Karin insisted. "So watch what you say about him. Honestly, just because you can't keep your eyes in your head doesn't mean others can't."

"Karin, I thought you had brain damage, I'm so happy you're ok!" Isshin shouted excitedly, leaping over the table to embrace his daughter. He was stopped in his tracks as his face made contact with Karin's foot. Karin was not so adept at stopping Yuzu however, who soon had her in a bone breaking hug.

"Everyone's invited to dinner tonight to celebrate Karin's visit and return to sanity!" she cried happily. Everyone cheered.

**It's not over yet, so don't go anywhere. **** And please review! Thank you.**


	7. The Roof

**Sorry this chapter is so short, but I realized that anymore might ruin the moment. Besides, the story is already over and this is just a conclusion.**

Two people however, were not present at the festivities. Well, people is the wrong word, but they are very important individuals nonetheless. Hyourinmaru and Mizufenikkusu sat on the roof together, watching the stars, just as Hitsugaya and Karin had done so many years ago.

"It seems Karin is back to normal," Mizufenikkusu said with relief. "Thank you, Hyourinmaru."

"Don't thank me, thank Toushiro," he replied. "He dealt with this very admirably. I'm proud of him."

"Yes, I couldn't have done it without him," Mizufenikkusu agreed. They sat in silence for a while.

"We're very lucky to have you two," she continued. "Toushiro's love for Karin has been very good for her. It makes her stronger."

"I wish I could say the same," Hyourinmaru said almost amused. "Karin has done nothing but weaken Toushiro. He's more receptive towards his emotions and displays them with much more ease. His mind wavers more often. You've made my job very difficult."

"You say all that like it's a bad thing," Mizufenikkusu teased. Hyourinmaru's eyes sparkled briefly.

"In truth, he is a better person for all of that. I'm very grateful to Karin for everything she has done for him." The two zanpaktos looked at each other. Meeting like this was a highly unusual occurrence. Ordinarily, they didn't need to speak to hear each other. They had an understanding that went beyond words and a bond that was stronger than love. Even tonight, very few words passed between them. Their feelings did not need to be expressed. They were implicit. And so they sat together, dragon and phoenix, two of the strongest zanpaktos in Soul Society, reveling in their shared success, and appreciating the time, however short, that they could sit here together, alone, basking in the moonlight.

**The End!**

**Thank you so much everyone who made it this far. It's been a lot of fun. Thank you so much for your reviews along the way. Please review to tell me what you thought of the whole thing. I write for you people, so if there is something you would like to see me write next, I'm currently out of ideas, but open to suggestions.**** Thanks again for reading!**


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